Fiat Lux … But Not That Much!

Akron, Ohio – September 18, 2009 The autumnal equinox commences the Northern hemisphere’s Fall Sun fade season, that period of time when for several minutes of one or more days, the sun’s brilliance outshines communications satellites.

On September 21st, this process starts at the equator, and each day moves further North, as the sun’s position moves South relative to the satellite. Skycaster’s Southmost customers begin to experience Sun fade for several minutes on September 22, and our Northmost customers for several minutes each day from October 11th through the 18th.

The Sun interferes with satellite broadband Internet signals when it aligns with a geosynchronous satellite and a ground based antenna — the energy of the Sun literally overpowers the energy of the satellite transmission during the brief alignment transit.

Called Sun fade or a Sun outage, satellite customers may experience this both when the Sun aligns with the satellite and their provider’s antenna, as well as with the satellite and their own dish. While the average customer is unlikely to notice Sun outages, you can easily predict periods of interference with one of several tools. For example, Sun fade will affect the Skycasters network operations center in Akron, Ohio, at these times:

Satellite Name

Satellite Position

Date

Start (GMT)

End (GMT)

Duration (min)

T14

-63°

OCT 4

16:11:40

16:17:40

6.0

T14

-63°

OCT 5

16:10:34

16:18:10

7.6

T14

-63°

OCT 6

16:10:16

16:17:52

7.6

T14

-63°

OCT 7

16:10:35

16:16:59

6.4

G28

-89°

OCT 8

17:46:01

17:48:24

2.4

G28

-89°

OCT 9

17:45:23

17:48:30

3.1

Determine the timing of Sun fades in your area. Intelsat, the owner of the satellite Galaxy 28, provides this listing of outages for general regions. Another Intelsat tool, this map diagram lets you determine roughly the time you’re affected.

To calculate the Sun outages in your area more precisely, the web-based Sun Outage Calculator includes outage data for both of Skycasters’ service satellites, Estrela do Sul (T14) at -63 degrees (or 63 degrees West longitude), and Galaxy 28 (G28) at -89 degrees (or 89 degrees West longitude).

About Skycasters

Skycasters is the leader in broadband satellite Internet solutions for businesses, including disaster first responders, that need more than traditional terrestrial landlines. Everything in Skycasters’ infrastructure, including teleports, hubs, and the network operating center, is business-grade and company-owned. The equipment at your location is business-grade, and designed to meet the unique challenges of your industry, no matter how rugged the conditions. Skycasters’ 24/7 tech support and customer service in-house experts can resolve any issue that may arise.

Call Skycasters at 800-268-8653, or visit us on the web at www.skycasters.com.

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